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College Prep boys volleyball team wins five-game thriller over Bentley

By Matt Smith Correspondent

Posted:
04/23/2013 07:14:25 PM PDT

LAFAYETTE -- Having played just one nonleague match this season, the College Prep boys volleyball team entered Tuesday's Bay Counties League-East showdown against Bentley as a bit of an unknown.

That is no longer the case.

College Prep, facing the No. 8 team in the East Bay with the BCL-East regular season title on the line, overcame what was nearly a two-game deficit to win 20-25, 26-24, 25-20, 19-25, 16-14, clinching the championship in thrilling fashion.

"It feels good," College Prep setter/outside Sean Hughes said. "The main thing for us was getting the top seed in the league playoffs and getting that automatic berth."

By virtue of winning the regular season crown, College Prep (7-2, 7-1 BCL-E) has earned the top seed in next week's league tournament. The winner of the tournament receives the automatic qualifying berth into the North Coast Section Division III playoffs.

Bentley (19-4, 6-2) will be the No. 2 seed, as the possibility of a rematch looms. Regardless of the tournament's outcome, both teams should receive NCS playoff berths.

The turning point in the match came with College Prep down a game and trailing 22-17 in the second. It rallied to win that second game, took the third and held in a thrilling fifth set.

Hughes led a balanced Cougars attack with 20 assists and eight kills, while UCLA-bound Eric Sprague led Bentley with 30 kills.